Arriving at the trailhead at 6am we saw the sunrise as we geared up and headed out on the fire road. A few miles of dirt road hiking dodging Poodle Dog Bush and we dropped in. A beautiful shaded, oak lined canyon with a few small rappels and steep down-climbs before the highlight, Chapman Falls, a 250 ft dry waterfall.
On the way down Chapman Falls
While bagging the rope, Mika and David told me about the garter snake curled up not far from where I was standing. You can imagine my surprise then when I nearly stepped on it and jumped back seeing a coiled up baby rattlesnake!
Heading out of the canyon we came across the old Mount Lowe Tavern, a historical site that the Mount Lowe Railway used to go. It was quite fascinating and there was even an old spring they tapped that you can still drink from today. You can read more about the Railway and history of the area here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lowe_Railway
So here is the short video I put together from our trip!
